Meet the Mundelein native who is helping the Cubs create content for TikTok
The first step to becoming a successful content creator is a winning idea.
Caitlin Hendricks came up with a twist on the sad breakup video. Her version began with the caption, “My guy left me and moved to New York. I was devastated, so I decided to take a chance and fly to New York to tell him how I feel.”
The clip ended with Hendricks sitting in the stands at Yankee Stadium, screaming toward the field, “I love you Rizzo!”
The ode to ex-Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo garnered 1.4 million views on TikTok. And that's essentially how the Mundelein native became a Cubs influencer, gaining cooperation from both the players and marketing department to make funny videos promoting the team.
She portrays a Cubs superfan on multiple platforms, but insists it's all legit.
“That's in my family's blood,” Hendricks said. “I've been a Cubs fan my whole life. I always remember going to games, watching Ryne Sandberg, Mark Grace. We'd go early with our gloves, try to get things signed.”
Getting the chance to break that wall and start asking Cubs players to be her TikTok co-stars was an interesting transition.
“It was crazy, honestly, because I never thought that would be my life,” Hendricks said. “I always thought I would just be this fan in the stands hoping they would notice me to get an autograph. Now here I am where we follow each other on Instagram and we're making videos together. I know some of their wives.”
Hendricks did some of her best work at the Cubs Convention last January, a weekend when most every player on the team was available to create. Her second-most viewed Cubs video on TikTok (1.1 million) is titled, “Patrick Wisdom Thirst Trap.”
She also did a takeoff on the “I let my husband pick our date night” theme, where she approached a player with two slips of paper featuring simple instructions. The player would pick one and, for example, have to give her a high-five or strike a pose, or Kyle Hendricks would have to say Caitlin is his favorite sister (they're not related).
Creating Cubs content is a passion project for Hendricks. Her full-time job is creating for brands like Fanatics and Duracell. She got involved with the Cubs through an opportunity with MLB.
“COVID hit and TikTok kind of became a thing,” she said. “I was bored and stuck inside, so I started doing TikToks. That's when it really took off and I started making more and more content and videos. That led to MLB Creator Class, so on and so forth, and here I am now.”
MLB Creator Class isn't really a school. There's no classroom or note-taking. Students are chosen by making baseball-related content and hoping MLB likes it. Hendricks was chosen for the inaugural class in 2021.
“I sometimes do these videos where I'll take some of the mic'd up clips from other teams and I'll insert myself into those conversations and make it look like I'm having conversations with the players,” she said. “I did that for my application for Creator Class and they ended up choosing me. And I was very shocked, but am very happy that it worked out.
“We were tasked with making at least three TikToks a month using their hashtags. They connected me with the Cubs. I got to make videos with them, I got to make videos at the World Series. A couple of my videos ended up on TV during the World Series, which was awesome.”
One prerequisite for a TikTok star would seem to be a craving for attention. Hendricks said outside of a starring role in her fourth-grade school play, she wasn't an extrovert growing up. With four brothers in her family, she was more sports-oriented, playing basketball and softball at Carmel Catholic High School.
Sometimes she'll approach the Cubs with video ideas, other times they'll look for her to promote a certain aspect of the team. One recent release showed what the view looks like from all the different rooftops.
“I feel like content creation and the social media world isn't going anywhere,” Hendricks said. “It might look different in a few years, but I think it's going to evolve and grow. People are always on their phones, so I feel like that's going to be the route people continue to go for their news, their sports, their entertainment.”
It's certainly true the clock is ticking, as traditional sports coverage becomes less Oscar Madison and more Kardashian. The Cubs found a partner for that new frontier.
Twitter: @McGrawDHSports